Dangerous toys list revealed

November 25, 2013: Toy recalls have declined in recent years, but toxic and dangerous toys are still available on store shelves. Amy Davis reports.

HOUSTON -

Parents are urged to be vigilant as they choose toys for their children this holiday. Toy recalls have declined in recent years, but toxic and dangerous toys are still available on store shelves.

For the 28th consecutive year, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group has gone shopping at toy stores, malls and dollar stores and then tested dozens of toys to make sure they're safe.

Many of the toys the group has deemed troublesome are designed for infants, like the Lamaze Take & Tidy Activity Mat. US PIRG says tests show the mat contained high levels of antimont, a toxic metal the group says can cause chronic health hazards in children.

They say the Leap Frog Chat and Count Smart Phone, designed for babies 18 months and older, is louder than federal safety standards allow and could damage little ears.

If you've got a superhero fanatic in your house, watch out for the Captain America Soft Shield. It's sells for about $8; and it's for kids two and older. But the Public Interest Research Group says tests showed this toy contains 29 times the federal safe standard for lead.

"I would say that the 29 times the federal standard lead is far too much lead and this is simply unacceptable amount of lead for a young child to be exposed to especially because this toy is intended for children two and up and might be chewed on," said US PIRG's Jenny Levin.

The consumer product safety commission does not test all toys; and PIRG says that is why not all toys on store shelves meet federal safety standards.

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